eSports are currently all the rage. Both The International Dota 2 Championship and the Evolution Championship Series (EVO) ran over the weekend, and more sponsors are being drawn in with the substantial prize pools and media attention. The latest of which would appear to be pornography streaming site Youporn.
While the site has not specifically mentioned specifics, it recently tweeted a question asking about a potential sponsorhip for either a Dota 2, League of Legends, or Hearthstone team. This is not entirely the first time that porn content providers have tried to sponsor eSports, as posts on the NeoGAF forums point out that several video game speed runners are already being paid by such companies.
Youporn’s Twitter followers posted replies encouraging it to go ahead with the plan and actually start sponsoring a team, although it is unlikely to happen. Many tournaments and competitions are adverse to being associated with pornography, not to mention that it is illegal in many countries; which would prevent the events from being shown or promoted in some regions.
eSports teams draw sponsorship money from a variety of sources, although most of them are related to the PC component or gaming peripheral industry. Some teams find funding from alternative sources, or even receive the backing of their governments. Cloud9’s League of Legends team, for instance, is currently sponsored by the US Air Force Reserve. However, considering how taboo the subject of porn is, it would take a massive risk for a team to agree to receive Youporn’s money.
Could you even imagine what the team name would have to be like?
[Source: Polygon]
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